William Walton (3/29/1902 - 3/08/1983)

William Walton represents a period in English music between Vaughan Williams and Benjamin Britten. After serving as a chorister at Christ Church, Oxford, he later failed to complete his graduate studies and was for a time dependent on the patronage and encouragement of the Sitwell family. He spent his later years on the island of Ischia.

Orchestral Music

Walton composed two symphonies, the first of which was completed in 1935 and has become part of the standard orchestral repertoire. His Violin Concerto and Cello Concerto are now frequently performed while his Viola Concerto is the most important 20th-century work for that instrument. Among his most popular works are the two orchestral suites from Façade (originally designed to accompany chanted poems by Edith Sitwell), the overtures Portsmouth Point and Scapino, and the coronation marches Crown Imperial and Orb and Sceptre. Walton wrote music for a number of films, some of which has been adapted for concert performance (including music for Henry V).

Incidental Music

Walton’s compositions for the theatre include The Boy David for Sir James Barrie and a score for Macbeth. His work for the cinema dates from 1934, when he wrote music for Escape Me Never, following this with As You Like It. Wartime films provided further opportunities, and his scores from these years include The First of the Few, from which the famous Spitfire Prelude and Fugue is derived. He also wrote music for Laurence Olivier’s Henry V, Hamlet and Richard III.

Chamber and Instrumental Music

Walton’s relatively small addition to chamber music and instrumental repertoire includes an early piano quartet and, in 1947, the String Quartet in A minor, an effective work. Other compositions include a violin sonata, Two Pieces for violin and piano, and a particularly pleasing set of piano duets for children.

Choral and Vocal Works

The oratorio Belshazzar’s Feast, its biblical text adapted by Osbert Sitwell, remains an imposing element in English choral repertoire. Other compositions include settings of the Te Deum, Magnificat and Nunc dimittis, as well as Missa brevis. His songs include the cycle A Song for the Lord Mayor’s Table.

Why choose ClassicsOnline?ClassicsOnline is your source for classical music new releases, rare catalog, historical recordings and exclusive bargains. Our vast classical music catalog has over 1 Million tracks from more than 50,000 albums available in DRM-free MP3 (320kbps) and FLAC (lossless format). More than 500 new albums are added each month, all of which are carefully indexed, and searchable by Composer, Artist, Work and Label. Membership is free, and registration includes 5 free tracks for download. Get a free track every week and gain access to exclusive classical deals when you subscribe to our newsletter. ClassicsOnline was honored in 2010 as the Best Classical Download Site by the MIDEM Classical Awards Jury.

Some titles may not be available in all countries because of possible copyright or licensing restrictions.